Abstract

Biofilms — matrix-enclosed microbial accretions that adhere to biological or non-biological surfaces — represent a significant and incompletely understood mode of growth for bacteria. Biofilm formation appears early in the fossil record (3.25 billion years ago) and is common throughout a diverse range of organisms in both the Archaea and Bacteria lineages, including the 'living fossils' in the most deeply dividing branches of the phylogenetic tree. It is evident that biofilm formation is an ancient and integral component of the prokaryotic life cycle, and is a key factor for survival in diverse environments. Recent advances show that biofilms are structurally complex, dynamic systems with attributes of both primordial multicellular organisms and multifaceted ecosystems. Biofilm formation represents a protected mode of growth that allows cells to survive in hostile environments and also disperse to colonize new niches. The implications of these survival and propagative mechanisms in the context of both the natural environment and infectious diseases are discussed in this review.

Author affiliations

1. Department of Veterinary Molecular Microbiology, Biomedical Research Building, 960 Technology Park, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59718, USA.
2. Departments of Microbiology and Civil Engineering, 366 EPS Building, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA.
3. Center for Biofilm Engineering, 366 EPS Building, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA.
4. Center for Genomic Sciences, Allegheny–Singer Research Institute, 320 East North Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212, USA.

Correspondence to: Paul Stoodley⁴ Email: pstoodle@wpahs.org

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